Midoneck is the codirector of Iris Cantor Women's Health Center at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

If your medicine cabinet is filled with half-empty pill jars, it's time to update the contents. You should edit your shelves every six months to make sure you have all the essentials on hand. Here are some more guidelines:

• Stock up. Make a list of what's missing, focusing on remedies for common ailments. Get two types of pain relievers—acetaminophen to reduce fever and ibuprofen for muscle aches. Stock up on Pepto Bismol for stomach irritation, Benadryl for allergies, hydrogen peroxide for cuts, and everything you need to relieve a cold: Sudafed for congestion, Mucinex DM to suppress a cough, and sore-throat lozenges. I also suggest getting a first-aid kit—it contains a range of products to treat minor emergencies (bandages for burns, ointment to prevent infections).

• Fill in gaps. Every medicine cabinet needs a thermometer, eye drops, a cold compress (some, such as Ace's Instant Cold Compress, can be kept at room temperature), a short-term sleeping aid such as Unisom, Band-Aids, hydrocortisone cream for itches, and tweezers for splinters. Now is also a good time refill your prescriptions.

• Create order. Group medicines by type on the shelf—putting all the stomach medicines together, pain relievers with one another, and so on. Keep everything in its original packaging so you have easy access to dosage directions. And check labels to make sure you're storing containers in the right place—some prescriptions (like penicillin) need to be kept cool and dry; others should be taken with food, so tuck those in a kitchen cabinet.